Uh, sorry to say this when you were all expecting something, but I really didn't have even the slightest plan this time...
Yukino and Yuihama really had known me for a long time. A trace of unease—or perhaps surprise—showed in their eyes as they looked at me.
"Do you have any idea?"
"No."
I answered Yukino's question openly and honestly. Yukino sighed helplessly, while Yuihama gave a wry smile.
"Ahaha... so, um, what do we do now?"
"No matter how we handle this, we need to talk to Hayama first..."
Hayama Hayato was undoubtedly the key figure at the center of this rumor. To control the direction things took afterward, no matter which approach we chose, we had to confirm Hayama's current situation and intentions. If possible, I also wanted to ask for his help.
In that case, someone needed to act as the point of contact to negotiate with him... I looked toward the three girls.
Miura immediately turned her head away.
"Ah, um, I'm not really good at talking about this... It'd feel like I was acting as if I were someone special to Hayato..."
Miura twirled her hair around a finger, her cheeks red and her expression troubled.
That figured. You couldn't exactly make a girl like Yokohama Yokosuka Yumiko, who got moved by pasta, ask, "...What are you to her?"
Note: This joke references the Japanese idol group Tanpopo's song "A Girl Moved by Pasta" and the Japanese rock band Down Town Boogie-Woogie Band's song "Minato no Yoko, Yokohama, Yokosuka." "...What are you to her?" is a lyric from the latter.
Then what about Yukino and Yuihama...? Before I could think further, I realized I couldn't let the two people at the center of the gossip meet Hayama.
That left only one person... I shifted my